Leaking Coolant

CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2002 Ford Explorer is hands-down our worst vehicle on record. "Avoid like the plague" is putting it lightly.

The 2002-2005 Explorer has a very well-established record of expensive transmission failure at under 100k miles. The Explorer has an enclosed transmission which is typically replaced with a rebuilt transmission at a cost of almost $3,000.

Another common problem for the 2002-2003 Explorer is wheel bearing failure at around 90k miles, with a typical repair bill of $500 to $1000 depending on how many wheel bearings failed.

Adding insult to injury, the 2002-2005 Explorer also has a massive problem with the rear panel cracking. While it's a minor annoyance compared to transmission failure, ironically the crack usually goes right through the Ford logo.

Explorer XLT 4.0L V6

Automatic transmission

63,000 miles

I had a leak for about a month that seemed to get progressively worse. I finally determined that it was coolant leak and took it to the dealership for further inspection. After charging me $95.00 to diagnose the problem, they came back and told me that the coolant was leaking from a freeze plug, but it was behind the intake and they'd have to tear down the engine to get to it ($395 for labor) after which they would replace the freeze plug (a $7 part) for an additional $107. I also agreed to let them do a coolant flush for $120 since everything was opened up. The problem was fixed, but those *@%&suckers pulled another $700 out of me. More shi#@y Ford engineering. This just adds to the long list of problems I've had with this vehicle.

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